Rice Growth, Grain Zinc, and Soil Properties under Saline Irrigation Conditions

This research evaluated rice growth and yield as well as Zn accumulation in both soil and grain under saline water irrigation conditions. The experiment consisted of a series of pots containing rice plants and paddy soil, with the application of irrigation treatments of five different salinity levels (1.5, 2, 3, 4, and 5‰ with a drip irrigation system). The results show that the salinity accumulation levels in soil can increase by up to 2.8‰ following the application of 5‰ salinity irrigation water during the development stages. Besides, this study also aimed to evaluate the influences of saline water irrigation on the observed rice yields, plant height, leaf length, and leaf width. In the results, irrigation with 3‰ saline water reduced potential rice yield by 58.6% and the length of rice leaves by one-third. Higher salinity of 4‰ in the irrigation water produced only 24% of average potential productivity, and 5‰ water salinity resulted in no yield. Furthermore, salt stress limited the mobile Zn content in paddy soil, reducing the Zn accumulation in grains by between 36.27% and 83.21%. Thus, the study shows that controlling salinity in irrigation water management is essential for controlling the yield and nutrient Zn content in rice grains.